Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 9 : Dr. Syed Anwar Khursheed, a recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Award for community services in the field of medical services from Saudi Arabia expressed his gratitude for the recognition.
Dr. Khursheed further expressed excitement about meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and receiving the award from the President, calling it a great honor.
While speaking with ANI, Dr Khursheed said, "Community services also include medical services. As I was working in King Faisal Hospital, Taif, I had the privilege to help people... Then I moved to National Guard Hospital, Riyadh. I am the Royal Protocol physician there, which is a great privilege for me to work for the royal family in Saudi Arabia."
He added, "From the beginning till now, I have been very well connected with the Consulate and the Embassy of India. I feel that when the community members work hand in hand with the Embassy, great results come out. Today, I am excited to meet PM Narendra Modi and tomorrow, we'll receive the award from the President. It is a great honour..."
Meanwhile, the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas attendees looked forward to PM Modi's address at the event in Bhubaneswar today.
"We are excited to see our Prime Minister ji here today. At such events, we meet and network with different people and also seek inspiration from them. Thank you to our PM for holding this event in my state of Odisha," says Smitidhara Swain from the US.
Another participant said, "People from different countries have come here. We are excited to hear PM Modi today."
Earlier, PM Modi received a grand welcome from Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday as he arrived for the inauguration of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bhubaneswar.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India that provides an important platform to connect and engage with the Indian diaspora and enable them to interact with each other. The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized in partnership with the State Government of Odisha from January 8 to 10 in Bhubaneswar.
The theme of this PBD Convention is "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat." A large number of Indian diaspora members from over 50 different countries have registered to participate in the PBD Convention.
On Wednesday, EAM S Jaishankar stressed on the importance of India's diaspora, calling it a "living bridge" that connects India to the world, saying, "India will be unique in terms of a major power rising which has actually used, is using, and will continue to use its diaspora as a very important pathway of its globalisation and for its rise in the international order."
Earlier, PM Modi arrived in Bhubaneswar and was received by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Bhubaneswar airport. Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan received PM Modi at Bhubaneswar Airport, Odisha.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the 18th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas convention in Odisha today. The Prime Minister will also virtually flag off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special Tourist Train for the Indian diaspora, which will depart from the Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi and will travel to multiple destinations of tourism and religious importance in India for a period of three weeks.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Express will be conducted under the Pravasi Teertha Darshan Yojana.
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